No, not at all! But don’t be worried if you aren’t experienced; you’ll receive a 4-hour full briefing from a commercially qualified skipper prior to your departure. The skipper will also ensure the yacht the driven in and out of the harbour for you.

They most certainly are! There’s no better way to get the kids away from those screens and out into nature than being on the water.

You can go north as far as Rooney’s Point on Fraser Island and go south through the straits as far as Inskip Point.

Yes! There are hot showers available on all the sailing vessels.

Yes! All yachts in the fleet feature a full kitted out kitchen inside with an oven, stove and fully stocked cutlery and cooking utensils, as well as a BBQ on the back deck.

Of course. There are motorised tenders available at your leisure with all of the bareboat hires to help you explore our amazing backyard.

Absolutely. Once you are out on the water during your charter, the Operations Manager will be in regular contact with you and offer you advice on where is best to anchor in the current weather conditions. If you ever have any issues, the team are just a phone call or text message away.

Once you've confirmed a booking, the team will send you a host of information so you can be across everything before you start your charter.

On the day of your arrival, they'll meet you at the Great Sandy Straits Marina at 3:00 pm (unless another time is organised). 

From there, they will let you stock the boat and go into a very detailed (up to 4 hours) briefing to ensure you are fully equipped with the tools and knowledge to sail (or motor, up to you) around Fraser Island and the Great Sandy Straits including how to fully run the boat, information on the area and what to look out for.

Following the briefing, and once the commercial skipper knows that everyone is comfortable, they will drive the yacht out of the marina for you and then jump off and let you sail into the sunset!

Throughout the duration of the trip, the team will remain in close contact to make sure all is okay and then will meet you just outside the marina entrance at the end of your trip to drive the yacht back into the marina for you.

While some anchorages throughout the straits may lack phone reception, 90% of the anchorage areas have great reception. The vessel Indigo also features Wi-Fi onboard for those that need to stay connected.

There are many excellent swimming and snorkelling spots to make the most of on your bareboating trips, including along the coast of Fraser Island near Kingfisher Bay, surrounding Pelican Bank and a number of Fraser Island creeks. However, please be aware that during the height of summer, there have been minimal cases of Irikanjdi, so we suggest taking caution at this time.

One of the best things about winter is our whales! Hervey Bay is known as the best whale watching spot in Australia (if not the world), and for good reason. Thanks to the protection from Fraser Island, the bay's calm waters are known as the humpbacks' chosen rest stop along their migration route. During the months of July – November, whales will spend extended time relaxing and playing in our waters, and towards the end of the season, mothers will teach their calves how to behave. There are no restrictions on where you can travel throughout this time; however, there are strict guidelines to follow in the event you encounter whales on your boating journey. These restrictions include distances between the vessel and any marine life and how you interact with these marine mammals. 

There is 240V power onboard for most appliances (leave those hair straighteners and dryers at home, though!), and batteries are charged by solar and a wind generator. The team strongly encourage all charterers to be aware of conserving power and energy while onboard so that together you can limit our impact on the local environment.

The charter yachts have plenty of water on board; however, given bareboat charters go out for an extended time, it is best to follow general water restrictions and keep showers to 2 – 3 minutes to make sure this lasts for the duration of your trip. Click here for some water-saving tips from the Fraser Coast Regional Council.

You're more than welcome to experience the world-class fishing of the Fraser Coast while on charters; however, you would need BYO fishing gear.

Hervey Bay is a great place to stock up with many shops and facilities near the Great Sandy Straits Marina. Some options include Woolworths, Coles, corner stores and Dan Murphy's for those drinks. There are also many outlets within the Marina, including a pharmacy and coffee shops.